TRUE-TO-NAME SMALL FRUIT PLANTS 



19 



Brief Cultural Directions For The New Beginner 



Strawbprries vil] thrive in most any ^oil that is not 

 too dry or water-oO-nked, and no cro.o will '•espoa'i mo-i' 

 quickly to good cultivation than the Strawberry. Straw- 

 berries require a great deal of moisture, especially at 

 fruiting time. 



PREPARING THE SOIL.— Strawberries should follow 

 some truck crop if possible. We do not recommend 

 planting strawberries after an old sod has been turned 

 under, too many grubs are likely to destroy the plants. 

 All sod land should be plowed at least a year in ad- 

 vance and sowed to some vine crop and manured the 

 fall or winter before planting to strawberries, and then 

 thoroughly worked up in the spring, where it is pos- 

 sible ; land that has been manured a year in advance 

 makes the best strawberries. We do not recommend 

 heavy applications of manure immediately before 

 planting, and under no consideration do we recommend 

 the use of commercial fertilizer, directly under the plants 

 when set. The fertilizer is likely to cause the plants to 

 die as soon as the sun gets hot. If fertilizer is to be 

 used, broadcast on the land, thoroughly work in the 

 land a few weeks before setting plants. The finer the 

 condition of the soil at planting time the better for the 

 crop. If land is hard and cloddy, better roll, also if 

 very loose sandy, it is best to roll, as this rolling holds 

 the moisture that is so much needed at this time. 



TIME TO PLANT.— The Fall from November 1st to 

 March 30th in the South plants may be set any time. 

 In the Middle States, March and first half of April. In 

 the North, as early in the spring as the ground can be 

 worked, the sooner the better. Northern customers 

 should always order their plants shipped at least two 

 weeks before they expect to set them out. The plants 

 should be healed in a V-shaped trench after they have 

 been unpacked and untied, bunches opened and roots 

 dipped in water. Cover with a board to shade the plants 

 and they will keep several weeks and be in fine con- 

 dition to plant when the proper day arrives. We ship 

 most orders to the far North during last half of April. 

 But some of our wisest customers order plants shipped 

 April 1st, and heal in as above. Some few customers 

 ask us for plants during August and September, we 

 have ss good plants at this time as any one in the busi- 

 ness, but we cannot recommend the planting at this 

 time, and do not see where the gain is in August plant- 

 ing in the North. Everbearing plants set in April will 

 fruit just as quick as the August and September plants, 

 and much less trouble and expense. 



SETTING PLANTS AND MARKING OUT THE ROWS. 



After ground is in perfect condition mark rows out 

 with any kind of light marker, that will not make too 

 much of a sink in the ground. 



IF HILL SYSTEM.— Mark rows 30 inches apart, one 

 way and fifteen inches the other and set plants in the 

 check with a spade or trowel, being sure to get roots 

 down straight and fan shaped, firming ground around 

 plants hard with the hand or foot. Some customers 

 write us they water the plants when setting them. Don't 

 Do That. Nothing could be more injurious to the straw- 

 berry plant. Under this system, all runner plants are 

 kept cut off and only the plant you set is allowed to 

 grow. Plants grown this way grow to be very large 

 and usually meet the 15 inch way, and produce more 

 quarts of berries per acre than the latter named sys- 

 tems. It is easy to grow one quart of berries per plant 

 under this system. Fruit will average twice as large 

 and sell for more money in the markets. We recom- 

 mend the hill system, as so many of our customers 

 have reported such large yields from their fields. 



SINGLE HEDGE ROW.-Mark rows thirty inches one 

 way. and set plants twenty inches apart and allow each 

 plant to make about two to four plants. Some very fine 

 berries can be grown this way. 



DOUBE HEDGE ROW.— For double hedge rows, mark 

 rows thirty-six inches one way, two rows of plants are 

 set zig zag fashion, and each plants is allowed to make 

 only a few plants. The object of the double hedge row 

 is to get more fruit to the acre than by the single 

 hedge row. The center of the bed is kept open so as to 

 give the plants air and sun. This is one of the inten- 

 sive systems and requires more work than the other 

 w'ays, and should not be practiced on a large scale. 



THE NARROW MATTED ROW.-Mark rows forty 

 inche.s apart one way ; set plants eighteen to twenty- 

 four inches apart and allow to grow until row is as wide 

 as desired and then keep down by cutting runners off 

 the balance of the season. Usually ten inches is the de- 

 sired width. This is probably the most common system 



of growing berries in the large commercial growing 

 sections, where fancy fruit is not the particular object. 

 Too many plants should never be allowed to mat in the 

 bed as their growth is only at the expense of the for- 

 mer plants and when such crowding Ls allowed small 

 berries and small yields may be expected. One acre 

 grown in the proper way Ls worth at least two grown 

 the wrong way. It takes a strong robust plant to 

 make a productive plant and to make a productive plant 

 it must have plenty of room and moisture, if the roota 

 are crowded moisture will be lacking. If one is not par- 

 ticular about neither quality or quantity, strawberries 

 will generally grow with as little attention as any other 

 crop. But we always contend that any thing that is 

 worth growing Ls worth growing right, and advise our 

 customers to get all there is in it by using the proper 

 methods. The largest crops are produced when grown 

 in hills and cultivated each way, one way with horse, if 

 in commercial lots, and the narrow way with hoe or 

 wheel hoe. If for garden purpose, plants may be set 

 12 X 24 inches, and worked with wheel hoe and give the 

 largest yields. 



MATING VARIETIES. [This paragraph should be es- 

 pecially noted by all). 



Strawberry plants are divided into two sexes, male and 

 female, or perfect and imperfect blossoms as the var- 

 ieties are listed in our books. The perfect flowering 

 sorts will produce as well with out the imperfect flow- 

 ering sorts, but should you plant all imperfect sorts, you 

 would have indeed a very poor crop, if any crop at all. 

 Most catalogue writers recommend planting perfect va- 

 rieties of the same season, with the imperfect sorts, same 

 rows of each, or two rows of perfect flowering to three 

 or four of imperfect, and so on across the field or gar- 

 den. 



For best results, we have found that where the most 

 is to be gotten from an im^j-erfect variety, (and indeed 

 they are our very best producers when properly mated), 

 is to set an imperfect variety between two different 

 perfect varieties, on one side should be a perfect variety 

 that opens blooms a few days in advance of the imper- 

 fect sort, and on the other side a perfec't sort, that will 

 continue to bloom until aftrr the blooming of the im- 

 perfect sort. When a trio of this sort is set. you are 

 sure of getting fertilization for all blooms of the im- 

 perfect sort, hence the larger crop to b<? expected and 

 more uniform shaped berries. Let us ul'ustrate. Com- 

 mence by setting two rows of Dr. Burrill, four rows of 

 Kellogg prize, and two rows of Chesapeake, and continue 

 across the patch in this manner. If other cultural 

 methods are followed success is sure with the above 

 varieties. We shall at all times be pleased to make the 

 selections of the perfect sorts when imperfect varieties 

 are wanted, for main crop. 



REMOVING BLOSSOMS (Very Important). 



All strawberry plants whether standards or ever bear- 

 ing begin to blossom very soon after being set in 

 the Spring, and these blossoms should be removed as 

 soon as they are all open by cutting off the fruit stems 

 with a sharp knife, or shears. Nothing weakens a plant 

 more than letting the fruit ripen on it when it is young. 



It requires but a few hours to remove the blossoms 

 from an acre and that will mean your success in grow- 

 ing a strong, healthy crop of plants that will prove 

 fruitful the following crop. 



Most of the everbearing sorts require the removing of 

 blossoms about twice during the first season before ber- 

 ries should be allowed^ to ripen. Aside from this fact 

 ever bearing strawberries are given the same care and 

 cultivation as other standard varieties. 



CULTIVATING AND HOEING. 



The Cultivators should start soon after plants are set 

 and given often and shallow cultivation the entire grow- 

 ing season. Always remember the shallow cultivation, 

 nothing is more injurious to a plant than deep culti- 

 vation. The light, shallow cultivation keeps a dust 

 mulch around the plants which is so essential in dry 

 weather, and the ro<->ts should never be disturbeii by 

 either hoe or cultivator. 



AS TO SPRAYING.— This is left entirely to our cus- 

 tomers. They can get better advice from their State 

 Colleges, than we can give, every looaality has it's own 

 individual troubles with insects. (Wo are thankful that 

 we have no plant insects on the old Eastern Sho' of 

 Maryland.) Neither do we have to mulch our plants in 

 winter in order to save them from freezing. But in the 



